Three Albany students rewarded for studies with ATAR rankings above 95

Three Albany students have excelled in this year’s Australian Tertiary Admissions Rankings, with the efforts of each resulting in rankings above 95.00.

Mia Hawke and Maximillian Tadj, of Great Southern Grammar School, and Jasmine Caldwell, of Albany Senior High School, received news of their outstanding results from WA’s Tertiary Institutions Service Centre on December 18.

With the ATAR being a ranking and not a score, receiving an ATAR of 95.00 means a student’s results are equal to or better than 95 per cent of other students in the same age group.

Across WA, 9643 students achieved an ATAR in 2022 and the median ATAR achieved was 83.45.

For Maximillian, success meant putting in the hours after school.

“It was a lot of work, constant,” he said.

“I probably did about three hours after school a day. It went up more towards the end.”

He said a simple yet dedicated and practical approach to the year, including hanging out with friends and playing music around study commitments, helped.

“I’m pretty happy with my work-life balance — I’m pretty proud,” he said.

Max would like to pursue a future in medicine and will be forgoing a gap year.

Jasmine juggled netball and basketball and also rehearsed weekly with the school concert band in the lead-up to exams.

“It was very challenging, managing time, getting a balance,” she said.

“But I managed to stay mostly on top of things. It’s important to take the moments that you have to take time out.”

Supportive friends and classmates were also a big help.

Jasmine is looking forward to spending next year working before possibly undertaking studies in pharmacy.

Having been pleasantly surprised with several early university placement offers, Mia attributed her fantastic result to having a good work ethic and good study habits.

“I really enjoyed Year 11 and 12, rather than stressed my way through it,” Mia said. “I have to give so much credit to my teachers, they are the greatest.”

Mia is aiming for a law and international relations degree.

For students who didn’t achieve the ATAR they were hoping for, TISC CEO Andrew Crevald offered some hope.

“We know some students will be challenged by their results, but there are many pathways to get where you want to go and plenty of people available to help you get there,” said Mr Crevald.

“So, I encourage you to contact the universities, or TISC, to explore your options.”